Device for applying lines to a pavement



United States Patent 72] Inventor George C. Morgan Rte. 1 Box 2, Me Mlnnville, Oregon 97128 [21 Appl. No. 741,792

[22] Filed July 1, 1968 [45] Patented Nov. 10, 1970 [54] DEVICE FOR APPLYING LINES TO A PAVEMENT 9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 222/177 [51] Int. Cl. A01e 15/00 [50] Field of Search 222/177,

'178, l76;239/l50: 101/(lnq): 111/37; 118/207, 305; 401/48; 94/22, 38; 279/150 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 151,490 6/1874 l-lowland 222/177 1,062,787 5/1913 Moore l 1 1137 1,999,563 4/1935 Glasgow 239/150X 1,956,602 5/1934 Wentz et al 222/176X 2,196,289 4/1940 Bracchiglione 111/37 2,451,104 10/1948 Lowe l98/31X 3,127,972 4/1964 Rabinow 198/38X 3,390,649 7/1968 Tschudy Ill/91 2,959,356 ll/1960 Shaffer 239/150X 3,008,647 1l/196l Gill 239/150 3,266,392 8/1966 Angelini 40l/48X 3,341,127 9/1967 Miller et a1. 259/150X Primary Examiner-Samuel F Coleman Assistant Examiner-Norman L. Stack, Jr. Attorney Buckhorn, Blore, Klarquist and Sparkman ABSTRACT: A device is disclosed for applying continuous or skip lines to a highway pavement. The device is a wheeled vehicle which is pushed by a truck and which has paint applying nozzles and bead applying dispensers controlled in part by cams. The cams are driven from pavement engaging wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle through a differential so as to produce equal length skip lines or bead strips and equal length skip distances between such skip lines or head strips on curved and straight portions of the highway. A second differential in the cam drive is also provided to enable manual introduction from a hand wheel of a correction of the longitudinal position of skip lines or bead strips. To assist in obtaining initial register with previously applied skip lines or bead strips a cam drive disengaging mechanism which also disengages the cams from their cam followers is also provided in conjunction with a device for returning the cams to a predetermined position when the cam drive is disengaged.

Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Sheet 1 of 2 GEORGE C. MORGAN /NVEN7'OR BUG/(HORN, BLORE, KLA/POU/S 7' 8 SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, 1970 Sheet of2 GEORGE c. MORGAN B I/VVE/V TOR BUC/(HO/P/V, BLORE, KLAROU/ST 8 SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS 1 DEVICE FOR APPLYING LINES TO A PAVEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Wheeled vehicles which are manually propelled or pushed by another vehicle and having paint applying nozzles and reflection bead applying dispensers have been employed. These vehicles have included skip line controls for the paint nozzles which are driven from a pavement engagement wheel and have also included variable or adjustable speed ratio devices between the nozzle controls and the pavement engaging wheel driving such controls. In general the drive for the nozzle controls have been from a pavement engaging wheel at one side of the vehicle with the result that the skip lines and skip distances between such lines have varied in length depending upon whether the paint applying vehicle was progressing around a curve in the pavement or was progressing in a straight line. The variations in length also de pended upon which direction the vehicle was progressing around the curve. This caused difficulties when it was desired to renew previously applied skip lines, particularly when it has been attempted to drive the line applying vehicle in a direction opposite to that when the lines were originally applied.

Adjustable speed ratio devices, such as referred to above, have been employed in an attempt to compensate for the variations in the skip line and skip distance due to curves in a highway upon which skip lines are being reapplied, but this has required constant attention of an operator and register of the new lines with the previously painted line has been difficult to obtain.

SUMMARY in the device ofthe present invention the drive for cams controlling the paint nozzles and bead dispensers is through a differential between two pavement engaging control driving wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle. The paint nozzle and bead dispenser for applying a center line between two driving lanes are positioned midway between the control driving wheels and paint nozzles and bead dispensers for painting nopassing lines on each side of such center line are positioned equal distances from the center line nozzles and bead dispensers, respectively. This provides skip lines or bead strips which are of substantially uniform length irrespective of whether the vehicle is progressing in a straight or in a curved path and the same is true of the skip distances between the lines or bead strips.

Depending upon such factors as wear of the tires of the pavement engaging control driving wheel or the degree of inflation of such tires, the skip lines being reapplied to previously applied skip lines or bead strips will tend to drift longitudinally out of register with previously applied skip lines. in the device of 'the present invention another differential with a manually rotatablecorrection wheel connected thereto is provided and is employed by the operator when necessary to easily correct for this drift from register. With the mechanism just described, the speed ratio between the ground engaging wheels and the controls for the nozzles, such as rotating cams, remains sufficiently constant that the variable speed ratio devices of the prior art between the driving wheels and the nozzle controls are unnecessary, although such a variable speed ratio device can be provided if it is desired to change the length of a complete cycle of a skip lines and skip distances.

In order to simplify and expedite the starting of a line or bead applying operation in register with previously applied skip lines or bead strips, the device of the present invention also preferably includes a drive disengaging mechanism and a device for moving the control elements for the paint nozzles and bead dispensers to a predetermined position when the drive is disengaged so that these control elements are in such predetermined position when the drive is again engaged.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a versatile device for applying paint lines and reflection beads, which device may be easily started in register and maintained in re gister with previously applied skip lines or bead strips on a highway.

. III

DRAWINGS v A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, of which:

'FlG. l is an isometric view of such preferred embodiment with parts broken away to show structure otherwise obscured;

P10. 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of the control cams for the paint nozzles and bead dispensers of HO. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the structure of the control cam drive and control cam disengaging mechanism;

FIG. 45 is a diagrammatic showing of types of lines and bead strips which can be applied by the device of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic diagram of a control system powered by compressed air.

- DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. ii, the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings is a vehicle including a frame ill having sidemembers l2 and M, a front frame member 16 and a rear frame bumper of a truck, which is not shown, to enable the vehicle of FIG. 1 to be pushed by such truck.

The rear end of the frame 10 is supplied by a pair of rubber tired pavement engaging wheels 22 and 24 mounted on the ends of separate axle shafts 2.6 and 28, respectively, journaled in bearings carried by the side frame members 12 and M, respectively. The front end of the frame it! is supported by slidabie front wheels 30 journaled on a front axle 32 secured to the front of the frame member 16. The wheels 30 can be steered by a steering wheelie and conventional or suitable steering mechanism 36. An operators seat 38 is suitably supported upon the frame 10 in a position for convenient grasping of the steering wheel 34 by the operator. A control panel so is also supported on the frame in a position convenient to the operator.

Three paint nozzles 41, 42 and 43 are shown as being supported by the frame 10 so as to be centrally located laterally of the vehicle and downwardly directed to apply paint to a pavement. in most cases the middle nozzle 42 is employed to apply white paint to a pavement to produce a white center line, which may be either a continuous line or a skip line which are painted portions of constant length with unpainted portions or skip distances of constant length between the painted portions. The other two paint nozzles 41 and 43 are usually empioyed to apply continuous yellow no-passing lines or the like. Any of the nozzles can also be employed to paint lines at the sides of the highways.

it will be understood that the truck for pushing the vehicle shown in PK]. 1 carries suitable tanks for paint as well as paint pumps and an air compressor. Compressed air and point are delivered to the vehicle of FIG. 1 through flexible hose lines and connections which may be of any suitable or conventional type and are not shown. it will be understood that paint under pressure will be supplied to the paint nozzles 41, 42 and 53 through the tubes 44 from the flexible lines referred to above, and discharged from the nozzles under control of a compressed air system described below.

Three reflection bead dispensers 45, as and d7 are also shown as being supported by the frame l0 with one of such dispensers in longitudinal alignment with a corresponding paint nozzle 41, 42 or 43, so that reflection bonds can he supwhich assists the operator of the vehicle in following a painted line previously applied to a pavement or a line of markers applied to a new pavement.

The control system for the paint nozzles 41, 42 and 43 and bead dispensers is shown in FIG. as a compressed air system and includes a pair of valves 56 and 58, also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. These valves are opened and closed by earns 60 and 62. The earns 60 and 62 are both mounted upon and rotated by a camshaft 64.

The shaft 64 is rotated from the wheels 22 and 24 through a differential 66 shown in FIG. 1 between the ends of the axle shafts 26 and 28 upon which the wheels 22 and 24, respectively, are secured and which provide two input drives to the differential. The output drive of the differential is through a sprocket 68 which rotates at an angular velocity which is the average of the angular velocities ofthe wheels 22 and 24.

A sprocket chain 70 mounted on the sprocket 68 and another sprocket on a jack shaft 72 provides a first input drive toanother differential 74. A second jack shaft 76 provides a second input drive to the differential 74 and is in turn rotatable by the operator of the vehicle through a hand wheel 78 and a sprocket and chain drive including a sprocket chain 80. The output drive from the differential 74 is through a sprocket 82, and it will be apparent that the angular rotation of the sprocket 82 will be the average of the angular rotation of the shafts 74 and 76 or one half that of the shaft 72 when the hand wheel is not being turned by the operator.

The sprocket 82 drives another shaft 84 through a chain 86 and a sprocket secured on the shaft 84. A spur gear 88 also secured on one end of the shaft 84 meshes with an internal gear 90 to drive the camshaft 64.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the camshaft 64 is journaled in bearing carried by a plate 92 pivoted to the frame of the vehicle at 94. A small air cylinder or actuator 96 extending between the free end ofthe pivoted plate 92 and a bar 98 positioned above the plate 92 and secured to the frame ID of the vehicle is supplied with compressed air to hold the shaft 64 in its upper position so that the internal gear 90 of FIG. I is in mesh with the spur gear 88 during the application of skip lines or bead strips.

Upon removing the air pressure from the cylinder 96 the plate 92 drops to lower the shaft 64 and disengage the gear 90 from the spur gear 88. This diseontinues the drive to the earns 60 and 62 from the wheels 22 and 24 and at the same time removes the cams from engagement with cam follower rollers of the valves 56 and 58 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to cause the closing of either one or both of such valves which may happen to be held in open position at that time by the lobes of the cams 60 or 62 to discontinue any skip line or bead applying operation.

As soon as the drive to the cams is discontinued by disengagement of the gear 90 from the gear 88, the cams are rotated to a predetermined starting position by a tension spring 100 shown in FIG. 2 as extending from a pin near the periphery of the cam 62 to a pin I02 carried by a portion of the frame of the vehicle. The predetermined starting position is that at which the spring is retracted to its shortest length and is about 90 from the position ofthe cams shown in FIG. 2.

The simplified schematic diagram of a compressed air system shown in FIG. 5 shows portions of the earns 60 and 62 and also shows the valves 56 and 58 as well as the cam drive engaging compressed air actuator 96. The paint nozzles M, 42 and 43 are also diagrammatically shown as are the corresponding bead dispensers 45, 46 and 47, respectively. A plurality of manually actuatable control valves I04, 106, I08, 110, I12 and 114 are also diagrammatically shown and these valves are mounted on the control panel 40 of FIG. 1. The single lines of the diagram represent air conduits.

The valve 112 is a master valve which controls the connection of a manifold conduit 116 of the system to a source of compressed air on the truck referred to above through a conduit 118. Valve 110 controls the supply of compressed air from the conduit 116 to the cam drive engaging cylinder 96 to cause this drive to be engaged. Valve W8 controls one supply path of compressed air to the center paint nozzle 42 and when this valve is open and the cam 60 is being driven from the wheels 22 and 24 of the moving vehicle to open and close the valve 56. the nozzle 42 is correspondingly opened and closed to produce painted skip lines of predetermined length with skip distances also of predetermined length between the skip lines.

Compressed air from the valve 56 is also delivered through a conduit 120 to open a compressed air actuated valve I22. When the valve 58 is also opened by the cam 62, compressed air is supplied to the valve 122 through the conduits I24 and this compressed air is delivered to the bead dispenser 46 to cause such dispenser to apply a strip of the beads to the fresh paint applied to the pavement by dispenser 46.

It will be noted that cam 60 as shown in FIG. I has one vulva opening lobe only, which is of adjustable length to adjust the length of the strip line of paint which is applied. Cum 62 controlling the bcud supply, however, has two vulve opening lobes for a purpose described below. During the skip line painting operation just described, however. only the lobe of cam 62 which opens the valve 58 at the same time the lobe of cam 60 opens the valve 56 is effective to cause the application of beads by the dispenser 46, since both of valves 56 and 58 actuated by the earns 60 and 62 must be open at the same time to cause air pressure to be supplied to the bead dispenser 46 to cause it to dispense beads.

The result is a skip line such as shown at 126 in FIG. 4 with a bead strip 12!; applied thereto. Thus the lobes of the bead dispensing control cam 62 are ordinarily made of less circumferential extent than the lobe of the paint applying control cam 60 so that the length of the applied bead strip 128 is less than the length of the painted skip line 126.

Opening of manually actuatable valve I06 causes air pressure to be delivered continuously from the conduit M6 to the center paint nozzle 42 to paint a continuous center line i140. Manually actuatable valve 108 will ordinarily be closed at this time. Compressed air is also continuously delivered to the compressed air actuated valve 122 through the conduit 124 to open this valve and hold it open so that both of the lobes of the bead dispensing control cam 62 become effective to cause dispensing of beads from the dispenser 46 upon the continuous line 130 inorder to provide the bead strips 132 shown in FIG. 4 on the continuous strip at the top of this FIG.

Manually actuated control valve 104 may also be opened to supply compressedair to paint nozzle to paint a continuous no-passing line at the left of the center line paint nozzle 42. The compressed air is also supplied to a compressed air actuated valve 134 of the same type as the valve l22 and the valve 134 to open the valve 134. This valve also intermittently receives compressed air from the valve 58 opened and closed by the cam 62 and this compressed air passes through the valve 134 to the bead dispenser 47 to cause it to dispense beads. The result is a line of the same type as the painted line 136 of FIG. 4 with the bead strips 132 applied to such line. FIG. 4 shows a commonly employed example in which the painted skip lines are 15 feet long with skip distances of 25 feet between the skip lines and with bead strips which are l0 feet in length. whether applied to skip lines or continuous lines.

Manually actuated valve H4 controls a paint nozzle 43 to cause it to paint a continuous no-pussing line at the right of center paint nozzle 42. Valve I14 also controls a bead dispenser 47 through a compressed air actuated valve 136 of the same type as valves 122 and H4 to intermittently actuate such bead dispenser. The result is the painting of the same type of line as the line l3il of FIG. 4 with bead strips applied thereto.

If a continuous line H2 without bead strips 132 shown at the top of FIG. 4 is to be applied, the shaft 64 carrying the gear and earns 66 and 62 may be left in its lower position to disconnect the drive to the camshaft 64 by leaving the valve in its closed position. The nozzles 4ll, 42 and 43 may then be individually controlled manually by the valves 104, I06 and 114, respectively to cause the nozzles to discharge paint, but

the bead dispensing control cam 60 no longer is effective to cause dispensing of beads. The same thing can be accomplished by providing cut off vanes or slides (not shown) in the individual bead supplies to the respective bead dispensers. It will be apparent that the closing of such a shut off device in the bead supply to the center nozzle will enable the painting of a center skip line without the application of beads thereto.

The return of the cams 60 and 62 to a predetermined position by the spring 100 shown in FIG. 2 whenever the drive to the camshaft is disengaged, assists materially in initially delivering of paint and beads to a previously applied line in register with painted skip lines or bead strips previously applied to such pavement. Disengaging the cam drive by closing the manual valve 110 of FIG. 5 thus allowing the gear 90 of FIG. 1 to drop out of engagement with the gear 88, will cause the spring 100 to rotate the earns 60 and 62 to a predetermined starting position. In the position of the cams shown this rotation will be in the direction of the arrow 138 and the extent of rotation will be approximately 90.

The preferred starting position is one in which the cam lobe of the cam 60 is rotated by the drive from the wheels 22 and 24 just past the cam follower roller of the valve 60. The arrow I38 indicates the direction of rotation of the cams 60 and 62 when the vehicle is moving in a forward direction with the drive between the gears 88 and 90'engaged, and it will be apparent that the spring 100 rotates the cams to this preferred starting position when such drive is disengaged. This means that subsequent engagement of the cam drive and the elevating the camshaft toward the valve 56 will leave the cam follower roller of the valve 56 out of engagement with the lobe of the cam 60 so that the valve 56 remains closed. Under these conditions, the valve 58 will also be closed as the cam follower roller of this valve will also be out of engagement with a lobe on the cam 62.

The starting position of the earns 60 and 62 just described for painting the skip lines of the example of FIG. 4 correspond to a position 25 feet before the beginning and of one of such skip lines. Thus if the skip line 140 at the lower central portion of FIG. 4 is the first one ofa series to be repainted, the vehicle.

is positioned with the paint nozzles at the dash line 142. The drive can then be engaged by turning on the control valve 110 of FIG. 5. As described above this leaves the valves 56 and 62 closed since the lobes of the cams 60 and 62 are not inposition to open these valves. The manually control valves 108 for the center paint nozzle is then opened but no paint is discharged or any beads dispensed since valve 56 in series with valve 108 is closedv The truck used for pushing the line applying vehicle is then put in motion in a forward direction and at the beginning of the skip line 140, the cam 56 will open the valve 56 to supply air pressure to the nozzle 42 to cause this nozzle to discharge paint and repaint such line. This provides 25 feet for enabling the truck to be brought to the correct speed. Opening of the valve 56 also causes opening of the air pressure controlled valve 122 and upon opening of the valve 58 by the cam 62, beads will be dispensed from the bead dispenser 46 starting at the beginning of the previously applied bead strip 128. The earns 62 and 60 will then cause closing of the valves 58 and 56 at the proper times to first cease dispensing beads from the dispenser 46 and then cease discharging paint from the nozzle 42 so as to form the painted skip line M0 with a strip of beads thereon. Painting of additional skip lines and application of beads will then continue as long as the vehicle is maintained in motion or until a change is made in controls by actuating one of the manual control valves on the control panel 40 of FIG. 1.

A similar procedure can be employed to apply the continuous line 130 shown at the top of FIG. 4 with bead strips 132 in register with those of previously applied line of this type. If the bead strip 146 is the first ofa series of bead strips 128 to be applied, the paint nozzles can be aligned with the line 140 which, for example, may be 25 feet plus 2- 41 feet or a total of 27% feet before the beginning of the bead strip M6. The drive can then be engaged and the truck for pushing the paint and bead supplying vehicle be sent into motion in a forward direction. it is to be noted that as long as valves E04, E06, Md or lid are all closed, the vehicle can then be moved along the line to be applied to any desired position without disturbing register with previously applied bead strips.

With the vehicle in forward motion the control valve 106 can be opened manually at the desired starting position of the painted line. This opens the paint nozzle 42 and causes it to remain in continuous operation until the valve 106 is closed. Opening of valve 106 also causes compressed air actuated valve 122 to remain continuously open until valve 106 is again closed and bead strip 146 and subsequent bead strips are then applied under control of the cam 62 and valve 585.

The operations of applying no-passing lines with bend strips by the paint nozzles 41 or 43 and bead dispensers $5 or 47, respectively, are the same as the operation for applying a continuous center line with bead strips and will not be further described.

All of the nozzles and bead dispensers are positioned sufficiently close to the line followed by the midpoint between the wheels 22 and 24 on opposite sides of the vehicle that the applied skip lines or bead strips are substantially equal in length as a result of the drive through the differential as from those wheels. Thus, the drive through this differential results in rotations of the control cams 60 and 62 which are proportional to the average of the distances traveled along the pavement by the wheels 22 and 24. An equivalent statement is that the rotations of the control cams are proportional to the sum of the distances traveled along the pavement by the two wheels. Also the distance the vehicle thus travels measured at the midpoint between the wheels 22 and 24 is proportional to the average, or the sum, of the distance traveled by the two wheels.

The bead'strips and skip distances between such bead strips v will be slightly longer on a no-passing line on the outer side of the center line on a curved section of highway than those on a no-passing line on the inner side of the center line, but this relation remains the same for either direction of travel of the equipment along the curved section of highway. Any drift from longitudinal register of either the bead strips or skip lines can be easily corrected by the hand wheel 78 operating through the differential 74. While the wheeled vehicle of the present invention has been described as being pushed by a truck, it is apparent that it may be propelled by a motor carried by such vehicle. Also it will be apparent that an electrically operated control system can be substituted for the compressed air system of FIG. 5.

In the claims the term skip markings" is employed as a generic termfor both the skip lines and bead strips referred to in this application. It will be apparent that, in general, the same control mechanisms may be employed to maintain each of the lengths of the skip lines, bead strips and skip distances of substantially constant and, when desired in register with previously applied skip markings or skip distances.

l. A device for applying skip markings to a highway pavement, said device comprising:

a vehicle movable along said highway and having a pair of pavement engaging measuring wheels spaced laterally of said vehicle with respect to each other;

each said wheel being journaled on said vehicle for rotation proportional to the distance said wheel travels along said highway when said vehicle moves along said highway;

applying means carried by said vehicle adjacent said pavement for applying said skip markings to said pavement at a position spaced laterally from each of said wheels; and

control means on said vehicle connected to and driven by said wheels and including means responsive to the distance traveled by said wheels along said highway and to the different distances traveled by said wheels when said vehicle travels around a curve in said highway for causing said applying means to successively apply to said pavement skip markings elongated in the direction of movement of said vehicle and of substantially constant predetermined length and having their ends separated by skip distances of substantially constant predetermined length irrespective of whether said vehicle is travelling in a straight line or around a curve.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which said device includes means for manually adjusting said control means while said control means are being driven by said wheels during movement of the vehicle along said highway to change to any selected extent the position along said pavement at which said applying means applies said skip markings without changing said constant length of said skip marking.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which said control means has a movable control element connected to said wheels and in which the position of said element determines whether a skip marking is being applied to said pavement; and said control means includes manually controlled means for disconnecting said element from said wheels and means operating as a result of disconnecting said element from said wheels for moving said element to a predetermined starting position of said element.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which said applying means includes a marking applying device located midway between the paths of travel of said wheels.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which said applying means includes a marking applying device spaced at selected distance laterally from a line midway between the paths of travel of said wheels and a second marking applying device spaced said selected distance laterally and in the opposite direction from said line. I

6. A device in accordance with claim 1 in which said control means includes a rotatable cam and a driving connection between said wheels and said cam for rotating said cam and also includes a cam follower for causing snid applying means to apply said skip markings; and said means responsive to the average of the distances traveled by said wheels includes a differential device in said driving connection having an input drive from each of said wheels and an output drive for driving said cam.

7. A device in accordance with claim 6 which includes a manually actuated hand wheel; and a second differential having an input drive and an output drive in series in said driving connection and a second input drive from said hand wheel for changing the position of said skip markings on said pavement longitudinally of said pavement without changing said constant length of said skip markings.

8. A device in accordance with claim 6 in which said driving connection between said wheels and said cam includes means for disengaging the driving connection between said cam and said wheels; and means operating as a result of disengaging said driving connection for rotating said cam to a predetermined starting position.

9. A device in accordance with claim 6 in which said applying means includes a paint applying nozzle controlled by said cum follower; said applying means includes a reflection bead dispenser means positioned in alignment with paint applying nozzle longitudinally of said vehicle and rearward of said vehicle with respect to said nozzle; said control means includes a second cam and a second cam follower for controlling said bead dispenser means; and said control means includes means for enabling a bend dispensing operation of said bend dispensing means under control of said second cam follower only when said paint applying nozzle has been enabled to apply said paint by the first mentioned cam follower. 

